


What makes your heart race

by Irnstark



Category: The Pacific (TV)
Genre: 18th Century, Alternate Universe, First Kiss, First Time, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Stranger to Friends, Well not really, not explicit, reference to the movie Mary Shelley
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2019-09-05
Packaged: 2020-10-10 16:04:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20530745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irnstark/pseuds/Irnstark
Summary: "What about you, Eugene? What would you like to see?"Eugene paused for a moment."I would like to see something that makes my heart race" Eugene said, looking up at Shelton, a small smirk playing on his lips "something that makes my blood run cold""Something bold" said Shelton, taking a drag from his cigarette, the little amused smirk never leaving his lips."And outrageous" Eugene added, lifting his chin and smiling with mischievous confidence.





	What makes your heart race

**Author's Note:**

> I had the inspiration to write this after I watched the movie Mary Shelley. There is one reference to the movie (the church scene) but the rest is all MADE UP by me. I hope you enjoy it.

It had all started with a pair of blue eyes. How many were the chances that Eugene would have noticed them, in a crowd of hundreds? From the moment the gaze of the stranger met his, though, he was grateful he had. The theatre was full that night, he could barely walk without bumping into someone. He did not like big crowds. His father had taken him and his brother to watch the new play by a popular writer, a revolutionary, as some people had defined him.  
The stranger held his gaze for what felt like a lifetime but probably was just a couple of seconds. Or maybe more? When did the people start walking in the theatre room? Eugene frowned at how easily he had lost track of time. His father was urging him inside the room and now, just like that, the stranger was gone. Eugene turned to look for him, but too many people were crowding the room. The pair of blue eyes was gone.

The play was boring him. He couldn't pay attention to what was going on on stage. Not when after thirty minutes or so, his eyes spotted the stranger once again. He was sitting in one of the left balconies, next to a blonde lady and another man. She was beautiful, Eugene couldn't deny it. Her decolletage didn't leave much to the imagination, she seemed fascinated by the play. Her extreme interest made him feel almost guilty because he wasn't paying attention but something was holding him back. His eyes kept racing back to the balcony, but they would not settle on the young woman. Instead, they would linger on those bright blue eyes. Vibrant, restless, they weren't paying much attention, either.  
The stranger was clearly bored. Eugene would drop his gaze every once in a while, but every time he looked back up he would notice a detail, a small detail of the nameless stranger. The way his back would straighten up at times, maybe forcing himself to pay attention, but ending up losing it way too soon. The blue silky jacket he was wearing. The way he would absently lick his lips now and then. Eugene adjusted on his seat.  
"Are you enjoying the play, Eugene?" asked his brother, softly.  
"Yes" Eugene answered, too quickly, too quietly "Yes" he repeated, dropping his gaze from the stranger, the moment he could have sworn he had looked back. But Eugene didn't turn around. He kept looking at the stage, feeling those pair of blue eyes piercing the skin on the back of his neck.  
That night, in his bed, Eugene thought that blue was breathtaking. 

"Artists, you say?"  
"Yes, Mary Frank, artists. Intellectuals" said Doctor Sledge, and Edward scoffed from the sofa.  
"Intellectuals?"  
"Writers, painters, musicians" his father was saying, "I think it would be interesting to listen to those young men's ideas. Times are changing, my dear boy"  
"Of course, father" Edward said, looking outside the big window of their living room "I find it a very good idea"  
"I am pleased to hear that" Mr. Sledge then turned to his youngest son "What do you say, Eugene?"  
Eugene looked up from his book, The Castle of Otranto. He had been listening, but he wasn't expecting his father to ask for his opinion. It was usually him who decided, anyway. So enthusiastic, so passionate. Eugene loved to see him like that.  
"I think it's a good idea, as well" he simply answered.  
"Very well, then," said Mrs. Sledge "It looks like we will have company this week".

By the time the doorbell rang again the house was already filled with people. Writers, Painters, Philosophers. Oh, brilliant men from all over London and even further away. But Eugene needed a break.  
"I will take care of it, thank you Petunia" he said politely to their maid. He needed a walk. A long one. Those people would have stayed around for a while and Eugene needed some fresh air.  
He opened the door, and there they were. Those blue eyes he thought he had forgotten. Eugene stilled at the door frame as he stared at the nameless stranger with disbelief.  
"Are you alright?" the young man asked. Eugene blinked a couple of times, looking down at his feet and then back up.  
"Yes. Yes, I am... can I help you?"  
The stranger lifted an eyebrow and gave him a funny look.  
"This is the Sledge family's house?"  
Eugene scoffed.  
"More like a hotel right now"  
The stranger smirked and extended his right hand.  
"I am Merriel Shelton"  
"Eugene Sledge" Eugene said, shaking his hand with a smile.  
"Thought it was the servants' job to let me in" Shelton teased and Eugene blushed a little, clearing his throat.  
"I, uh, I needed some fresh air"  
"Ah, thinking of sneaking out?"  
"Something like that"  
"Mind if I join?"  
Eugene looked at him for a second, and then again, time seemed to work differently all of sudden. He blinked again and then smiled, closing the door behind him.  
"Not at all. "

"So Eugene" Shelton said as they walked down the streets of London in the fresh evening air. "Where have I seen you before?"  
Eugene felt the heat spread on his cheeks once again. Shelton bit back a smirk and Eugene knew he was doing this on purpose. He had recognized him.  
"I believe we happened to be in the same theatre watching the same play last Monday" he answered calmly, trying his best to regain some confidence.  
"That might be it" Shelton was still acting unsure. "A dull, tedious play if you ask me"  
Eugene looked at him in between shook and admiration.  
"Pardon?"  
"It was an empty and frivolous story, the themes were nothing but another banality. Undistinguished, a mediocre work "  
Something moved in Eugene at those harsh words. Somehow he found himself agreeing with Shelton, even if in less severe terms. He had thought the play was rather insignificant, considered the way it had been presented. He had expected more.  
"It lacked pathos, I think" Eugene found himself saying "I would say it was rather superficial"  
"There were so many good points that could have been used to make it more intriguing," Shelton said, shaking his head with a knowing smile at which Eugene couldn't help but smirk "The loneliness of mankind instead of the excessive grief for a lost love. The burden represented by the knowledge that weights on our shoulders once we start to understand this world-- this would have been something I would have been intrigued to see"  
"I agree with you, Mr. Shelton"  
Shelton laughed and slipped a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his jacket. A blue one, again, but different from the one he was wearing at the theatre.  
"Call me Merriel, please." He paused to light his cigarette. He offered it to Eugene but the boy politely refused. "What about you, Eugene? What would you like to see?"  
Eugene paused for a moment. What did he want to see? What could have captured his attention, that night? What did capture his attention was the young man right in front of him. The fire that Eugene had seen burning in him from the very first time he had met his eyes. How mysterious, unknown, he had seemed. Just like the character of one of his books. Those books that made him hold his breath, that kept him awake at night, like a pair of bright blue eyes.  
"I would like to see something that makes my heart race" Eugene said, looking up at Shelton, a small smirk playing on his lips "something that makes my blood run cold"  
"Something bold" said Shelton, taking a drag from his cigarette, the little amused smirk never leaving his lips.  
"And outrageous" Eugene added, lifting his chin and smiling with mischievous confidence.  
Shelton took a step closer, eyeing him down, slowly blowing the smoke to the side of his face. Eugene held his gaze, waiting, waiting for Shelton's next words, waiting for his next move. The skin on the back of his neck was tingling, just like that night at the theatre.  
"Outrageous" Shelton repeated, studying his hazel eyes. Then he took a step back with a little chuckle and started walking again. They weren't very far from Eugene's mansion, however, it was getting dark. Eugene knew that soon enough someone would have noticed his absence. He wasn't surprised to realize he didn't care much.  
"How old are you, Eugene?"  
"I'm seventeen" Eugene answered and then, after another couple of steps asked, "How old are you, Merriel?"  
"I'm twenty one "

By the time they came back to the mansion, the atmosphere had been considerably lightened by the smoke and the alcohol. Eugene led the way inside, followed by Shelton right away, but no one seemed to notice them. Shelton looked for Mr. Sledge and introduced himself, while Eugene set down next to his brother on the big red sofa, following with his eyes his every move.  
"Hey, Gene" Edward said once he noticed him. He seemed quite drunk himself and Eugene couldn't help but roll his eyes at him "Have you been here the whole time?"  
"Would it make any difference?" Eugene whispered. Then he eyed the men around the room. They were being loud, talking too much and about too many things at once. Eugene recognized some of them. He also recognized the so called revolutionary who had written the play that they had seen the other day.  
"Who's the new boy?" Edward asked, frowning in Shelton's direction.  
"His name is Merriel Shelton" Eugene answered "We met outside"  
"I don't like him," Edward said with a funny pout. Then he took another sip from his drink and added "His eyes are restless"  
'Oh', Eugene thought, smiling a bit 'yes, they are.' 

The next morning Eugene woke up to the sound of music. It was early, very early, his watch said six-fifteen. His room was dark, the curtains hadn't been pulled yet, the sound of the piano came suffused from downstairs. Eugene yawned and listened to the beautiful and gentle notes for a little longer until he decided to get up and find out who was playing. He slipped on his red robe and opened the door, quietly walking downstairs.  
When his eyes caught a glimpse of dark curls and olive skin, he found himself smiling. Shelton hadn't noticed him yet. He was playing a piece by Schubert, he would have guessed, even though he wasn't entirely sure. Eugene leaned back against a column and watched him play. He seemed so lost in his own world, his body moving and dancing with the music, discreetly, his fingers so gentle on the white and black keys.  
After a while, Eugene bravely took a step forward, then another, until he was standing next to Shelton. The young man eyed him but did not stop playing. Eugene didn't want him to. He listened quietly until Shelton slowed his pace and played the last chord. Eugene smiled at him, leaning against the piano.  
"You play wonderfully" he said. Shelton smiled a little and cleared his throat.  
"Thank you" he said "I am terribly sorry for waking you up"  
"Don't be" Eugene quickly said "It was one of the best good mornings I had in years"  
Shelton laughed softly, shaking his head.  
"I figured the others would have slept through it considering the amount of alcohol they drank yesterday night"  
"You were right" Eugene assured him "No one's awake"  
"Except you and me"  
"Indeed, Mr. Shelton"  
Shelton smirked at him. Eugene noticed he was wearing a loose, white shirt, tight around his wrists as it was supposed to be around the neck, but Shelton had kept some buttons open. The pants were the same he was wearing the day before and Eugene found himself asking if the young man had gone to sleep at all. He was about to ask, forgetting all kind of formalities, when Shelton said: "Do you play?"  
"I, uh..." Eugene was taken aback from the question. "I can strum some notes. I wouldn't call it playing" he said with an apologetic smile. Shelton wasn't discouraged by his words, on the contrary, he gave him a challenging look and moved a bit to the side, leaving some space on the stool.  
"Oh, no" Eugene mumbled, feeling the blush back on his cheeks. His reaction made Shelton giggle.  
"C' mon Sledge. No one's around"  
Eugene gulped and stared at the empty space next to Shelton for a couple of seconds, hesitating. The big living room was, in fact, empty. Eugene was sure everyone was still asleep, except maybe for the maids, but they wouldn't come in there and anyway, it wasn't like they would have commented on his playing. Or on anything else.  
Eugene sat down, trying to use less space possible.  
"What do you want to play?"  
"I told you, Merriel," Eugene said "I can't play much"  
"Well, I am going to help you then"  
Eugene stared at the piano, thinking. He knew how to play the beginning of Für Elise. How chilcé, he thought. He could feel Shelton's arm pressing against his side and once again, those piercing blue eyes following every one of his movements, waiting.  
He started playing. Slowly, quietly, feeling like he was breaking some kind of rule here, feeling like this wasn't his place. But Shelton had asked him to play, so he would at least try.  
Once he got a key wrong, though, he cringed and quickly removed his hands from the piano. Shelton smiled at him, an amused light crossing his eyes.  
"It's a mi, here" he explained. "si, do, re, mi"  
"Oh" Eugene said, having no idea of what he was talking about. He remembered how to play by memory because when he was younger his mother showed him how to do it and he had memorized every movement. Or at least, most of them. He had no idea which one of those keys was a mi.  
"Here, let me show you"  
Shelton played the last part again, slowing down in the end until he stopped on the last two notes. Eugene looked at his hands, trying to remember which key he was pressing and nodded quietly.  
"Try" Shelton encouraged him, shifting a bit on their seat. Eugene could hear him breathing. His hands shyly found the piano again.  
He repeated the last part and this time got that mi part right. Two seconds later the terrible assonance of two keys made him guess he had messed up again.  
"The black key" Shelton said and Eugene quickly pressed one of them but again, it was wrong. He panicked and switched back to the white one that, of course, was wrong as well, until he finally decided to remove his hands from the piano once again, causing Shelton to laugh softly. Eugene eyed him, trying to conceal his blush by turning his face away.  
"Quit that" he murmured, but there wasn't any actual bite in his words. Shelton let out one last giggle and then bit his lip, hesitating.  
"Here" he said softly. He reached for Eugene's hands and the boy turned to face him with a questioning look.  
"May I?"  
Eugene hesitated but then nodded, letting Shelton guide his hands to the piano one more time.  
"Try to relax" Shelton told him. Eugene tried his best. He took a deep breath and all at once, he was aware of so many things. The keys under his fingertips. Shelton's hands on his, soft and cold, but pleasant, somehow. Their arms pressed together, Shelton's smell of smoke and his faint scent of whiskey. His breath ghosting over his neck.  
"Now play it again"  
"I will get it wrong--"  
"I'm going to help you. Relax, Eugene, and play"  
Eugene wasn't sure but he decided to do as Shelton asked. He played the last part once again but this time Shelton was there to move his hands just slightly, just that much needed to press the correct key. Eugene couldn't help but smile with a bit of pride and amusement and he caught a glimpse of Shelton's smile as well.  
"Wasn't that hard, was it?"  
Eugene played the first part again. He had memorized the movements now, he could have played without Shelton's help, but he didn't pull his hands away and, with his own surprise, Eugene realized he didn't want him to. Shelton managed to make him feel safer, somehow. Playing now seemed so easy. So natural.  
It was slow, almost unnoticeable when Shelton shifted closer, pressing against Eugene's right side. Eugene didn't say a thing, he didn't stop playing, but something inside him made him lean back. He felt his breathing coming off shorter, his fingers grow cold all of sudden and he really couldn't help the small smile that ghosted over his lips.  
"Eugene? Dear, is that you?"  
Eugene stopped playing as Shelton's hands quickly fell back in his lap. One second later his mother walked in the room, followed by Edward, still half asleep.  
"I thought it was you" his mother said. Her eyes then flashed to Shelton sitting next to him and asked: "I don't think we have had the pleasure to meet, Mr. ...?"  
"Shelton" Shelton answered, standing up to greet Mrs. Sledge "Merriel Shelton. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Sledge" he bowed his head a little and Mrs. Shelton politely smiled at him.  
"You haven't touched that piano for years and you decide to do it at seven in the morning" Edward commented turning to Eugene, even though he wasn't really scolding him or anything. He looked tired, Eugene thought, and guilt made him tense up.  
"I am sorry I woke you up"  
"A delight for a headache," Edward said "but don't be. I am glad to hear you playing again"  
"It was nothing, really" Eugene said, standing up "Mr. Shelton was helping me"  
"Do you play, Mr. Shelton?" his mother asked. Shelton smiled politely and said: "Yes ma'am, I do"  
"Well then you will have to play something for us, one of these days. I suppose you will stay for the rest of the week?"  
"Yes, ma'am and I would love to play for you"  
"Beautiful" Edward said, clapping his hands once "Beautiful news, Mr. Shelton. Eugene, dear brother, as much as I love hearing you play I am going to have to ask you to stay away from the piano for a couple of hours, so I can go back to sleep"  
"Edward!" his mother scolded him but Eugene giggled and nodded at him.  
"Don't worry Edward, I will let you rest"  
Edward winked at him. He then turned to Shelton and gave him a polite nod of his head.  
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Shelton"  
Eventually, he saluted his mother and went back upstairs to his room. Mrs. Sledge stood there for a couple of seconds, unsure on what to do now. It was early, no one except them was awake and Eugene could tell she didn't want to seem rude and just leave.  
"Breakfast won't be ready before ten. Do you want to sit down and maybe...?"  
"Actually, mother" Eugene quickly answered, trying to spare them both a long and awkward morning "I told Mr. Shelton I would show him the city this morning. This is why we were up early, we just... got distracted"  
Shelton eyed him but said nothing and Eugene hoped his mother would just let them leave.  
"Oh, yes, of course" She said with a small nod of her head "You boys go and enjoy your walk"  
Eugene could tell she was relieved to have avoided her own suggestion on how to spend that morning. Of course, she was always polite with her guests but that didn't mean she enjoyed that forced company any more than Eugene did.  
"Thank you, Mother"  
"Thank you Mrs. Sledge"  
Once they were both outside, about half an hour later, Shelton gave him a questioning look.  
"Where did that come from?" he asked with a small smirk. Eugene giggled and shook his head, leading the way.  
"Trust me" he said "I just saved your life"

It had started raining all of sudden that evening. Eugene and Shelton were still far from Eugene's mansion but they needed somewhere to get out of the rain. So when a small church appeared in the corner of Eugene's eyes he told Shelton to follow him inside. They opened the door and stormed in, laughing at the top of their lungs.  
"I thought we wouldn't escape the rain" Eugene said, throwing his drenched coat on one of the pews.  
"Luckily our God welcomes us in his home" Shelton exclaimed, walking towards the altar. Eugene stayed behind and looked at him as he grabbed the wine bottle of the pastor and the cup used for the mess.  
"Tell me, Eugene" he said, as he poured some wine in the cup "If God is everywhere, why do we erect temples for him?"  
"So that people can all go in one place to pray him" Eugene quickly answered, grinning at the tone Shelton was using. He had something in mind, his question would lead to another one, and then another one, as he always did until he would finally make Eugene question everything he knew, everything he thought he knew.  
"And so tell me" he said, taking a sip of the wine, and Eugene scoffed at him. They were lucky the church was empty because if Shelton didn't mind stealing before God, he sure would have got himself in trouble if the pastor had been there. "God is omniscient, right?"  
"He is"  
"Then what is our need to warn him of our needs and fatigue him with our prayers?"  
Eugene didn't answer but Shelton wasn't expecting him to.  
"If he loves all of us, why should we fear him? You shall fear the Lord your God" he mocked with a deep and stern voice and Eugene couldn't help but laugh at him "isn't it all part of a gigantic despotic system designed to crush the soul of men?"  
Eugene stepped forward, holding his challenging gaze and slowly took the cup from his hand. Shelton watched his every move, an intrigued smile playing on his lips.  
"I do not fear the Lord" Eugene said "Nor I consider myself part of such system"  
He took a sip of the red wine but his eyes never left the blue ones before him. Shelton smirked at him, taking a step forward.  
"Outrageous" he whispered.  
There was a sound coming from somewhere in the church which made both of them jump in surprise.  
"Who's there?"  
"Shit" Shelton cursed and Eugene quickly grabbed his coat from the pew.  
"Who's there?" the voice repeated. Eugene started to run but he waited once he realized Shelton had come back to the altar to take the bottle of wine.  
"Merriel!" he urged, and Shelton finally followed him.  
They managed to hide behind the last row of pews, back pressed against the wood, ears pricked to listen.  
"Is anyone here?" the voice asked. Eugene's grip was on Shelton's shirt, both of them short of breath, trying to hide behind the small pew.  
"Anyone?" the voice repeated. Eugene looked down trying to hold back his laughter and Shelton screwed his eyes shut, pressing a hand against his lips.  
Eugene looked up at him as he let his hand fall, and the two of them just stared at each other for a little while. Eugene could feel his heart beating fast in his chest, so fast and loud that he thought it would have echoed in the whole church. Shelton's gaze fell on his lips and then back up to meet his hazel eyes, a silent question at which Eugene didn't know how to answer if not by speaking Shelton's name.  
He didn't know if the man had walked away but by the time he felt Shelton's lips on his he didn't care anymore. He did not care about anything else in the world. The kiss was tender, hesitant, so slow and delicate it made Eugene feel dizzy. Shelton pulled away for a second, taking his time to grin at him and Eugene knew it was now the time to back off. It was now the time to stop, so he could still have considered it an accident, an instinct dictated by adrenaline and nothing more. Shelton was giving him the chance to do it. And he should have. But instead, Eugene pulled him back by his shirt and kissed him again, feeling him smile against his lips. The kiss was deeper now, lips moving frenetically against each other, fighting for dominance, hands roaming on each others' bodies. Eugene let Shelton push his back against the pew and his hands slipped in his dark and wet curls. Shelton let out a small gasp and cupped Eugene's jaw with his hand, moving to leave kisses along his jawline, then down, until he settled on the spot on the crook of his neck. He sucked on the pale skin and Eugene moaned quietly.  
"They will see" he whispered.  
"You'll cover it" Shelton whispered back and then he was back there, working on the already bruised skin and Eugene let out another small groan. He felt his ears whistle, his skin hurt by the way Shelton was torturing it. Eugene wanted more, he wanted to feel Shelton's lips on his again. He pulled gently at Shelton's hair and managed to drag him away from his neck, pulling him down in another kiss. When Shelton pulled away his bright blue eyes were so dark one could have mistaken them for black. His breath was short, his lips swallow, his checks crossed by a slight blush. Eugene could only imagine how he must have looked like at that moment.  
Shelton looked down at him and smirked, letting his fingers trace the red and lilac mark he had left on his skin.  
"The sweetest sin"

"I don't understand why after three days of alcohol and wild partying they feel the need to have a nice and calm dinner" Edward was saying, as the two brothers walked outside in the garden. Eugene shrugged.  
"I bet most of those men don't even like each other"  
"Why would you say that?" Eugene asked, sitting down on a chair.  
"Some of them are just too different. If there is no alcohol to loosen some tension, by the end of this dinner they are going to try to murder each other"  
"You are so dramatic" Eugene said with a small giggle. It was Edward's turn to shrug now.  
"You spend a lot of time with that pianist, Mr. Shelton" he said. Eugene was sure his heart skipped a beat here. He looked at his brother, trying to appear nonchalant as the other light up a cigarette. All of sudden the mark Shelton had left on his neck tickled, and Eugene distractedly touched the collar of his shirt.  
"Yeah?"  
"Is he nice? I mean, he looks a bit... weird"  
"Aren't all of these men weird?" Eugene pointed out and Edward shrugged with a small nod of his head. He was still standing and Eugene wished he could just sit down and perhaps talk of something else.  
"I suppose they are" Edward took a long drag of his cigarette, staring at him quietly "And you are a bit weird yourself, Gene"  
Eugene scoffed, looking at the big windows of the mansion illuminated by the lights inside.  
"I suppose I am"

Edward was right. The atmosphere at dinner had been, if not tensed, quite heated for a while. But now that more alcohol and been served, the men seemed to be less stern and started to actually try to hold a conversation. Eugene hadn't talked much. Sometimes one of the men would ask him a question, sometimes he would jump in the conversation and say a few words, sometimes he would just keep quiet. His eyes had met Shelton's a couple of times. The boy seemed interested in the conversation, even though he himself had been rather quiet for the whole time.  
"Your vision of life is too pessimistic my dear fired, I can not agree with you on this" was saying one of the men.  
"Love is the engine of life, the engine that starts it all"  
"Men are not capable to love"  
"To love as in?" Shelton asked. The men turned to look at him and Eugene did, as well.  
"What is that supposed to mean?"  
"Love can be many things" Shelton said calmly "You can love yourself, for example. You love yourself so much that the rest of the world has no importance anymore" he continued. "People would call you narcissistic, then. Love can be towards another human being. But then how do we know what is the right measure? I can love someone so much, to the point my passion becomes an obsession, or I can love someone and barely sleep with them at night. I would still call it love, but would you?"  
"It is about finding the right balance " Eugene spoke before he could have helped himself. Shelton, who had been looking at everyone but Eugene, stared at him and then smirked slightly.  
"And who would define the extremes?"  
Eugene went quiet, just like the rest of the room. Shelton didn't lose time to fill the silence.  
"Every man is capable of loving. But every man's love is different"  
"So how do you know if what you feel is love, Mr. Shelton?" Eugene asked, forgetting there were other people in that room or maybe he just didn't care. Shelton gave him a challenging look, leaning forward just slightly, and yet Eugene felt like there was no space between them.  
"It makes your heart race" Shelton answered, quietly "Makes your blood run cold."

That night someone knocked at Eugene's door. He wasn't sleeping. He got up and slowly walked to the door of his room. When he opened it, he wasn't surprised to find Shelton. The two just stared at each other, both silent, both one step from the edge. Eugene was holding back. He was holding back something he didn't quite know yet, but there it was, his heart racing, and there it was, the feeling of falling without moving a step. He felt his skin tingle, his mouth go dry. And finally, finally Shelton was stepping forward, pressing his lips against his, closing the door behind them. Eugene kissed back, desperately clinging into his shirt with one hand while the other found its place in those dark curls.  
Shelton pushed him down on the bed and started kissing along his neck, frenetic, as Eugene let out small broken breaths.  
"You are killing me" Shelton whispered against his skin "You are tearing me apart. Every damn day. Piece by piece"  
Eugene gasped when Shelton pressed his thigh between his legs. He pulled Shelton down for another hungry kiss and the boy obliged, turning it messy and filthy and just the way Eugene wanted it. Eugene wished he could have seen his eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes. Everything was wrapped in darkness, it made it all feel so surreal, like a dream, like a fantasy.  
"You and your little smiles" Shelton said, kissing right below his lips "You and you white skin" he slipped a hand under Eugene's shirt, caressing the skin just slightly, making him shiver "The way you look away when I tease too much" he pushed up with his leg and this time Eugene moved with him, letting out a small moan. "The way your cheeks turn red when I get too close. The way you say my name"  
"Merriel" Eugene instinctively said, and it sounded so desperate, so broken, Shelton couldn't resist a groan.  
"It's driving me insane"  
Eugene experimentally rolled his hips down and moaned at the so longed feeling. Shelton's hands found the hem of his pants but Eugene quickly grabbed his wrist, holding his breath. Shelton slowed his movements to look down at him. He waited. Eugene's breath was coming off short, his heart racing fast, faster than ever.  
"I..." What? Eugene thought. He wanted this. He did. He was nervous. God, he felt like he could break by the way he was shaking. "I've... I've never, uh..."  
"You don't have to" Shelton kissed his cheek, so soft and tender Eugene almost didn't register it. He swallowed, slowly letting go of Shelton's wrist.  
"I want to" he murmured. Shelton looked down at him once again.  
"You sure?"  
"Please" Eugene pleaded and Shelton nodded, leaning down for another kiss. Eugene kissed back, hard and needy, gasping once he felt Shelton's hand back on the ham of his pants.

It was early when Eugene woke up. The sun was not yet up in the sky, even though the darkness of the night was starting to fade in the clearer colors of the dawn. Eugene blinked a couple of times. He had forgotten to pull the windows. He then became aware of the hand that was playing with his hair and he shifted a little to meet Shelton's gaze.  
"Good morning, cher"  
Eugene answered with a sleepy moan. All of sudden, piece by piece, memories of the night before came racing through his mind. His heart started beating faster as the sound of broken moans started filling his ears, he felt warm skin under his fingertips, soft lips pressing against his own. They really did that.  
"Eugene?"  
Eugene turned on his side. He was pressed against Shelton's half naked body, he felt warm and dizzy, and he was quite sure it wasn't only from sleep.  
"Merriel" he said, feeling like an idiot, but what else was he supposed to say? Shelton looked at him and hesitated.  
"Are you alright?" he asked, cautiously.  
Was he alright? He was. He, Eugene Sledge, had never felt more alive before. All he wanted to do was pull Shelton closer, kiss the hell out of him and fall asleep to the sound of his heartbeat. He felt like smiling for no reason at all. Or maybe there was a reason, a reason that was now staring at him with that concerned look in his beautiful blue eyes, and it made Eugene's heart beat fast. Yes, he was alright. Was the world alright with what they had done? That wasn't the question Shelton had asked.  
"I am" Eugene said.  
"Are you sure? You seem--"  
Eugene grabbed his shoulder and kissed him before he could have finished his sentence. Shelton immediately kissed back, slipping a hand around his waist and pulling him closer. The kiss turned slow and lazy until their lips were just touching, no actual effort to move, their foreheads pressed together.  
"Aren't you supposed to be back in your room?" Eugene asked, with a small smile. Shelton sighed but smiled back.  
"We still have some time. It's very early"  
Eugene gently pushed him against the mattress and then curled against his side, resting his head on Shelton's chest. Shelton's hands went back to play with his hair and Eugene leaned into the touch, moaning happily. He listened to the sound of Shelton's heart, while everything else started to fade in the back of his mind, Shelton's hands working smoothly in his hair, tiredness starting to weight on him once again.  
"Merriel?"  
"Hm?"  
"Your heart is racing"  
Shelton smiled at him, stroking his temple absently with his thumb.  
"Yeah" he whispered "it is."


End file.
